"Budhha Hoga Tera Baap" is Sharad Pawar's response to an aged farmer's worries in Pune

On his several tours throughout the state, Sharad Pawar, who is now 80 years old, is known for shocking his audiences with his wit and unscripted humour.

On Monday, the intrepid 82-year-old Nationalist Congress Party President visited Pune's Purandar taluka to examine the damage the recent rains had caused to the area. He then stopped by the NCP office in the Parinche hamlet to speak with farmers and his devoted team of party members. 

 

An elderly farmer present at the meeting warned the NCP Bigg Boss, seemingly concerned about Pawar's health and wellbeing. There was a pin-drop silence as he gently advised Pawar Saheb to "refrain from going out too often, and instead sit at home and wield the remote control" on the party. The benevolent Pawar came up to take centre stage while other farmers and senior NCP workers gulped anxiously, fearing that the elderly peasant would be executed for the "blasphemy".

 

Pawar silently peered around and then threw a mouthful at the farmer with a gleam in his eyes and a sneaky grin "Have I aged lately? Who is uttering that? I am young! how did you find out?" Pawar enthusiastically joined the laughs as soon as the pin fell, which quickly dispersed the few uncomfortable moments that had been there. Later, he returned to politics, his former favourite game, and attacked the Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis administrations for abandoning the communities in the state who were still struggling from the effects of the recent rains. 

 

Although Pawar has spent more than 55 years in electoral politics and even longer in public life, senior leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) acknowledge how his "youthful" trips motivate and inspire them to put in such demanding schedules. It might be recalled that when Pawar was hospitalised in January 2016 for a regular examination, it led to rumours that he had "died."

 

Supriya Sule, the daughter of Pawar, senior officials like Jitendra Awhad, and others dispelled the purported "death rumours" and made films of Pawar awake and well on the hospital bed while others watched in anticipation. Even remembering how the legendary Jayprakash Narayan had been "prematurely declared dead" on March 23, 1979, by the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai in the Parliament, and later had to apologise to the nation, Pawar remained vivacious and jovial, thoroughly enjoying the rumor-mongering at his expense.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Twitter @PawarSpeaks